Detroit's Eduards Tralmaks Receives Praise From NHL Insiders

While the Detroit Red Wings had their top stars on display at the Olympics, with Dylan Larkin, Lucas Raymond, and Moritz Seider representing their respective countries, another name quietly made a big impression. 

Eduards Tralmaks, the 29-year-old Grand Rapids Griffins forward, was a standout for his home country of Latvia. He recorded three goals (all against NHL starting goaltenders) and an assist in four games, averaging a point-per-game.

Tralmaks’ most memorable moment came in Latvia’s surprising 4-3 group stage victory over Germany, where he scored one of the key goals. His performance drew attention from NHL observers. On his 32 Thoughts podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman highlighted Tralmaks as one of the non-NHL players who impressed him at the Olympics.

"Another Latvia guy who I thought was good is the guy who was playing for Grand Rapids right now....Tralmaks, yeah, I thought he was good," Friedman said. 

Tralmaks’ professional journey has been unusual, after a strong college career at the University of Maine, where he nearly averaged a point per game, he played in the AHL with the Providence Bruins. He would then move to the Czech league with Rytíři Kladno. In 100 games there, he recorded 83 points. His success earned him a contract with the Grand Rapids Griffins this season.

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Currently on a one-year, $775,000 deal, Tralmaks could become a trade candidate for the Red Wings. Detroit may look to move him to give him an NHL opportunity. Alternatively, he could explore a free agent deal in the offseason to try to earn a spot on an NHL roster.

Tralmaks’ Olympic performance has put him on the hockey world’s radar. After years of steady development in the AHL and Europe, the Latvian forward is now a name to watch and his standout play has opened doors for potential NHL opportunities in the near future.

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